Steamy Train
by Tess 4 5
Summary: On a long train trip to somewhere you have to have something to do - read, talk, look out of the window. Let's see what our Detectives will do on such an occasion. Just a short story...


**Author's usual notes and disclaimer:** I don't own any of the original characters nor the original Inspector Lynley Mysteries – they belong to Elizabeth George and the BBC. I have borrowed the characters from the TV-Show and solely own the ideas of _my_ stories and the developments _I've_ let them go through.

Please write a **P** rivate **M** essage if I did something terribly wrong so I can fix it. Thanks!

Please read and review! More thanks!

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 **Author's note and summary:** On a long train trip to somewhere you have to have something to do - read, talk, look out of the window. Let's see what our Detectives will do on such an occasion.

Just a short story. I really have not enough time at the moment. Anyway, enjoy...

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 **Steamy Train**

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Carefully he pulled the book from her lap. It had slipped off her hands and was about to fall to the ground because she had fallen asleep over reading it and the train they were driving with was rattling and jolting so much.

DI Lynley and DS Havers were on their way to a small town in the northern parts of England. His car was in the garage for an almost complete makeover, hers was in the garage because it was there all the time, and unfortunately the Met had finally started to implement their new cost-cutting measures so they only were offered two train tickets and no staff car. Why they had started the cost-cutting with their best team on their way towards the presumably most rural part of England still was a miracle to Tommy Lynley but that he had spent six hours next to Barbara was some sort of reward. At least he had had the great idea to upgrade their trip out of his own pocket so on the longer part of their trip they had been able to indulge in the sheer luxury of bigger first class seats. Only the last part of the journey was spent on simpler seats in that small train on old tracks through the rough outskirts of nowhere.

Earlier Lynley and Havers had worked through the files of the old case Ardery had made a top case of, important to be solved ASAP, like she had written in her memo, although it was closed unsolved six years ago already and the new lead probably was no lead at all. When it had started to annoy them they had put away the files and then Tommy and Barbara just had looked out of the window for a while. Their following smalltalk about the weather somehow had turned into a very personal conversation about their different youths and lifes.

Eventually it even became a bit too intimate and Barbara visibly had clammed up so Tommy had changed the subject. When they had changed trains she had started to read her book and he had taken it as a sign and had unfolded some newspapers.

Having read everything Tommy put it away again. He dared to watch Barbara while she was sleeping. She looked relaxed and had a smile playing around the corners of her mouth that made it hard for him to resist the urge to touch her lips.

Tommy sighed. He was glad that Barbara was not as tense as she had been earlier. He had not wanted to make her feel uncomfortable when he had talked about his late wife Helen. In fact he had wanted to steer the conversation to the feelings he had started to harbour for his Sergeant but unfortunately had not found the right words.

 _Probably not my best idea._ he thought now and read Barbara's book cover.

It was one of Elizabeth George's mystery novels. Lynley chuckled. Barbara loved these books about a noble DI and his clumsy Sergeant. Sometimes he wondered if the American writer had peeped into their lives. But then again he thought that he was not as stiff as the Detective in the books, although Barbara might think of it different, and after all he was not blond. And Barbara definitely was not as plumpish as the fictive Sergeant. Quite the opposite. There was not a single hip pad too much. Tommy knew it. He had seen her in nothing but a towel once or twice and he could not tell that she would have to stop eating her beloved junk food soon. Her body was rather perfect he would say and thinking about it now and like that his ears suddenly turned slightly warm. He grinned and put the book into her oversized handbag at her feet.

"Mmmh." Barbara quietly moaned when she felt him moving, and turning around to him she lasciviously moved closer into his side. Tommy had no objections. Her body was pleasantly pressing into his with every jolt of the carriage. A noise disturbed him dozing off with Barbara comfortably in his arm.

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[DINNNGGDONNNGG] [CRCKL] "Neckrck strckl iss Crarcklbowdoncrck. Excrckt on sh righckrck." [CRCKL]

Only because of the LED display board ahead of their seats Tommy knew where they were. One stop further they would be at their destination.

"Barbara?" Tommy whispered.

"Oh, yes!" Barbara groaned and put her arm across his belly. Tommy raised an eyebrow. She obviously was dreaming.

Tommy shot a quick glance over his shoulder. There were other people around. Whatever his Sergeant was dreaming of it surely would embarrass her to have audience. "Barbara?" he whispered again, louder this time.

"Mmmmh." Oblivious to everything else she moaned again and wriggled her hip another bit closer against his thigh. Her hand pulled at his shirt as if she was pulling him closer to her. "Yes, Tommy!" she groaned.

"Barbara!" he exclaimed. With wide shocked but also delighted eyes Tommy looked down at her. Her words had sounded so desireful he did not know what to make of it. "You shouldn't-"

" 't's _my_ dream!" she said still half sleeping. With still closed eyes Barbara held out her face towards his. "Kiss me 'gain." she demanded.

Now both of his eyebrows went up and he tilted his head backwards but Tommy only hesitated for a moment before he obeyed. To his delight Barbara answered his kiss with a gorgeously languid nudge of her lips.

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It only lasted for two seconds.

Then her eyes went open, in an instant she woke up completely and quickly withdrew from him.

With shock Barbara looked at the DI. He could see how she processed what just had happened and all Tommy could do was give her a reassuring smile.

Surrounded by the scent of her boss she had dozed off and fallen asleep after she had stopped reading. With the previous very intimate conversation still on her mind Barbara had not been able to concentrate on the text anymore when hearing him breathing next to her and feeling his arm against hers on the armrest between them burned a pleasantly warm longing through her system. Her thoughts had wandered away from this train seat to some nice place somewhere in his garden where they had done things they probably never would do in the real world. Barbara had been dreaming about very adult moments with her boss. She had wriggled against him in her dream and also involuntarily a bit in reality but she had not been aware of it at all and when she realised what she actually had done all she could do now was blush and apologise.

"I'm sorry!" she said toneless.

"I'm not." Tommy answered with a confidently calm voice. He showed a tender smile and his voice was so knee-weakingly soft that for a moment Barbara was about to give in to the desire to repeat the kiss. "I just wanted to tell you we're almost there."

"Good!" Her voice pitched when she jumped up from her seat grabbing her handbag. "Let's get our luggage."

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It was not easy to follow her through the aisle to where their bags were stored. Barbara had blushed deeply and stormed away from him. With an angry force she already was trying to pull down her backpack which was stuck in the upper rack when Tommy finally reached her.

"Here, let me help you." With no efforts he pulled the backpack down.

"Thank you." Barbara murmured trying to grab her luggage and continue her escape towards the doors.

"Wait, Barbara." Tommy said. He placed a hand on her shoulders and gently forced her to face him. "Please don't run away from me. I think we have to talk..."

"No, we haven't." There was defeat in her voice but also uncertainty, Tommy would say, and some trembling fear. He knew there was nothing to fear. Together they were invincible. They were the best team of the Met and that derived from the fact that they shared a deep faith and blindly knew about each other. About their flaws, about their strong points, their moods and their feelings. Most of their feelings, that is. Barbara did not know what he truly was feeling for her. He did not know it exactly himself until right now.

"I love you." he said with a calm voice. He just had realised the truth and it was wonderful but he could not get rid of the feeling that it would be hard work to convince Barbara.

"You don't." she grumbled.

"I do."

"Bollocks."

"And I suppose... I _hope_ there are some romantic feelings you have for me."

"I haven't."

"Well, you were dreaming of me. Smiling. Sighing even."

"I wasn't." Barbara knew she even had moaned in her dreams. Red heat flushed across her skin.

"You've sighed my name, Barbara."

Her frightened eyes met his. "I-" With silent disbelief she shook her head.

Gently Tommy stroked her upper arm and dared to take a step closer. "And you've _told_ me to kiss you."

"I'm sorry." Barbara croaked. She blushed again and averted his eyes.

"I'm still not." With a crooked finger under her chin he lifted her face. When their eyes locked something shifted into the right place. Suddenly Barbara knew that Tommy had said the truth when he had told her he loved her. She could see it in his eyes. And suddenly she also knew there was nothing wrong with having the same feelings for him. There was no need to fear that what she only had dared to dream of for several years could not work in reality. As if Tommy was able to read her mind his lips spread into a loving smile. He sighed. "Please tell me again to kiss you. I would lo-"

Actually Tommy was not able to finish his speech. Barbara suddenly stood on tiptoes, closed her eyes and pressed her lips on his. He was not even able to react properly before she had withdrawn again. For two breaths long she blessed him with a shy smile but then she quickly grabbed the straps of her backpack, turned on her heels and went to the exit. "We're almost there, Sir."

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Her voice was cheerful and it lifted Tommy's hope that they were on the right path to something wonderful. With a swift move he pulled his own bag from the rack and followed his Sergeant. "Barbara, wait!"

She only turned on the small entrance platform at the door. "Wha-?!"

This time it was her turn to be unable to finish. Tommy crushed his lips on hers and together they stumbled against the wall in Barbara's back. At first it was a joyful outburst and they kissed each other with all the hunger of long years of hidden longing but soon, when the need for air made them part their lips, it turned into a series of small tender kisses with quietly whispered words of love, reassuring and surprised discovery that these feelings have been mutual for too many wasted years. Too many missed opportunities let these small kisses imperceptibly move to a feverishly physical declaration of desire against the wall.

45 minutes later they were driving in the other direction. Being preoccupied with each other they had missed their stop and had had to catch the train back to where Ardery had been sending them.

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